Using all his persuasive powers, Brown gave an exaggerated account of Savannah’s defenses, his own belief that the Americans could prevail after a long siege, and eventually induced General Wayne to release him on parole near the town, with a pledge that he would attempt to arrange for its surrender. Back with Governor James Wright and Colonel Alured Clarke, he described what had happened to him and informed the British leaders that the Georgia rebels, at best, were anticipating a long and costly siege in order to prevail. They were ignorant of orders that the city be surrendered. Together, they tabulated their most generous demands for the protection of themselves and the loyalists, and Brown carried them back to Wayne and some Whig political leaders who were assembled in their headquarters. Believing that they had prevailed in a shrewd bargain and that their major goal would be achieved without further military losses, the Georgia leaders agreed to the extraordinarily generous surrender terms. In addition to wanting to end the conflict, they knew that almost every merchant, financier, and most of Georgia’s wealth were all located in Savannah, and their hope was that generosity would induce most of the Tories to remain and be loyal to their new nation.

Merchants who chose to leave were given six months to close their inventories, and the Georgians were disappointed when about 3,100 whites and 3,500 Negroes departed, mostly to Jamaica or St. Augustine, including the slaves of Governor Wright and other large landowners. Colonel James Jackson and his Georgians accepted the surrender of the city in July 1782, and most of the British troops departed for Charles Town or New York.

CHAPTER 55

Georgia Finally Secured

DECEMBER 1782

Leaving only a force of two hundred men under Colonel Jackson to defend Georgia, General Greene ordered Wayne and all his regular troops to report to him near Charles Town, and the American army finally moved into the city in December 1782, fourteen months after Cornwallis had surrendered at Yorktown.

Although having been forced to comply with orders from London, Thomas Brown remained deeply resentful of Georgia’s surrender. In order to discourage American movement into the area near Florida and to solidify the British relationship with the indigenous tribal leaders, he used every opportunity to make threatening statements about retaining a strong force of Rangers in the region south of the Altamaha River. Because of these threats, Jackson was reluctant to release any of his troops, but after a few months all the Rangers and Indian warriors were ordered back to St. Augustine, and Governor Tonyn sent an official message to Savannah that there would be no more British attacks on the territory of Georgia.